Search

(1) Background: Acute bouts of exercise have been associated with affective changes. Exercise supplemented with distraction may divert attention from unpleasant feelings commonly associated with exercise to more pleasant feelings. The purpose of this study was to compare affective responses to exercise with and without distraction. (2) Methods: 25 individuals volunteered for this investigation and completed all three conditions. This study included three 30 min cycle ergometry exercise conditions, a control condition with no stimuli and two test conditions; one supplemented with a self-selected video and the other self-selected music. The Feeling Scale (FS) was administered prior to, every 10 min during, immediately following, and 10 min post exercise. (3) Results: These data demonstrate a significant condition effect for FS during exercise. The condition effect was due to FS being greater in the video and distraction conditions. There was no time by condition interaction seen during exercise. (4) Conclusion: These data indicate that distraction may be effective in supporting a more pleasant exercise experience and could potentially increase exercise adherence.

Unlabelled: Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have been shown to benefit from participation in pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programs that include exercise training and education., Purpose: To examine the relationship between improvements in 6 minute walk distance and perceived quality of life in individuals with COPD following completion of a PR program., Methods: The records of 139 individuals completing a PR program (3 times a week for 8 weeks) were retrospectively examined. Prior to entry and upon completion of the program each individual completed a 6 minute walk test (6MWT), the SF-36 Health survey, and the UCSD Shortness of Breath Questionnaire (SOB). SF-36 results were analyzed according to 8 subscales [Physical Functioning (PF), Role Physical (RF), Bodily Pain (BP), General Health (GH), Vitality (V), Social Functioning (SF), Role Emotional (RE), and Mental Health (MH)]., Results: PR resulted in significant improvements in 6MWTdistance (Pre = 845 +/- 37 ft, Post = 1127 +/- 32 ft, p < 0.001), PF (p < 0.001), RF (p = 0.001), Vitality (p = 0.002), SF (p < 0.001), RE (p = 0.037), MH (p < 0.001) and SOB (Pre = 53 +/- 2, Post = 47 +/- 2, p < 0.001). The change in 6MWT distance was not related to changes in PF (r = 0.17), RF (r = 0.03), GH (r = 0.03), Vitality (r = -0.001), SF (r = 0.01), RE (r = 0.06), MH (r = -0.04) or SOB (r = 0.12). The magnitude of improvement in 6MWT distance (68%) was much greater than that observed in PF (15%), RF (16%), GH (6%), VT (18%), SF (20%), RE (14%), MH (14%), or SOB (8%)., Conclusions: PR has a positive impact on 6 minute walk distance and perceived quality of life in individuals with COPD; however, changes in 6 minute walk distance appear to have no relationship to changes in perceived quality of life.